Differing Views
by aquaisra
Summary: Repost: Masamune x OC. Masamune and his men have just arrived in their from a victory. It results in a encounter with one of the maids. But whether this develops into anything further, that's something that neither of them can seem to pinpoint. Terrible summary, I'm horrible at it. My first FF.


_Hello everyone. Again. This is a repost of an old story that I had to take down for personal reasons. I'll probably be coming back to it later to edit some things here and there in the story, but that's a long way down the road. In the meanwhile, I'm just going to leave this up here. It is my very first FF, and if you can rate and review, that would be awesome, even though this is completed already. Any feedback is always appreciated. _

Chapter 1

There was already a crowd waiting for them at the edge of the fields after the news of their arrival had been passed along by a rider sent ahead, visible under the waning light of the moon, and with bated breaths, as still as the hot, humid summer air surrounding. The out line of horses and their riders began to spring up from atop the crest of the hills some distance away. A young boy, dirty and tired, immune to the spell that rendered the rest immoveable, was the first to break the silence with his shrill, childlike voice.

"They have come at last! There, atop the hill!"

The great roar came from the crowd then, the one that the gathering people had anxiously awaited and secretly rehearsed, yet it was accompanied with an unanticipated sense of fervor that still surprised.

The oncoming men had thundered down the hill with terrifying speed, creating a large cloud of dust in their wake, but even though they slowed down as they neared the group of people, the excitement audible in the rising voices of the villagers only rose.

They had secured another victory in the west. Songs had been prepared as the riders in their bulky blue armor proudly rode alongside the crowd, their heads erect, chests puffed out and flags raised high, as they moved into the village. Laughter and tears were then added to the din, as the soldiers relaxed their practiced acts of pride and reunited with their families. Two men, however, remained impassive as they surveyed the increasingly chaotic scene.

Kojiro was tall and broad in build, with an unassuming yet powerful presence, clothed simply, and with a slight smile softening his otherwise carved features. Masamune, with his crescent headpiece atop his helmet gleaming, roguish eyepatch, and gold trimmed azure armor, commanded more attention visibly. But it went beyond that. The gleam in his steel colored eye, the cocky smile that played around his thin lips, and his crossed arms that showed no care for his stirrup as he rode; his was truly the air of one who could lead men to both their fortune and to their doom.

Masamune held up one hand, and silence fell instantly, the suffocating humid air returning to blanket any noise. The cocky smile remained as he addressed the crowd,

"Tonight we _party_! Sake and food, on my expense!" He cocked his head to the old man who ran the teahouse.

"Yeah!" Came the deafening reply as the crowd once again flipped back into a celebratory mood.

A small _hmph_ of amusement, then Masamune turned around and rode on towards his house, which radiated nobility with it's elegant proportions and lacquered wood amongst the fields surrounding it, but looked older and more worn than it actually was in the harsher light of the moon. He anticipated a quiet night to himself, back amongst what was familiar.

The paper screens belied that the candles were lit in the main hosting room. Masamune's smile flashed into a look of rage, where he then stopped in place in the stone courtyard in front of the house, and looked back towards Kojiro, his left eye opened wide with fury.

"Kojiro," he growled in his deep voice "what is this stupidity?"

Kojiro humbly lowered his eyes and offered a dignified bow.

"Lord Masamune, I thought it best if you celebrated with company."

Masamune made no further inquiries, and walked onwards with a look of grim resignation. These were becoming more frequent.

He was a man, who did not share with most men, a lust for women. However, as a Lord, and most basely as a male, he was expected to behave as most hot-blooded men would. To dispel any persistent rumors of infertility or the likes, Kojiro would arrange for numerous women entertainers to come up to the house at times. Twice, it had ended with a girl in his chambers. But these encounters were fueled more out of necessity than out of any sort of passion for the girl involved.

Painted beauties, their kimonos craftily arranged to display their form, their perfume that scented everything it touched with the dull, artificial, lingering smell of roses. Three bottles of sake later, and Masamune felt that perhaps now was the time to end these thinly veiled attempts of seduction. He had begun to feel something stirring within him, whether it was from the alcohol, or the women's calculated attacks. But just as he had formed such resolve to choose one of the more busty women beside him, a younger girl, just barely beyond a child from the looks of it, with relatively ill-fitting, plain clothes and no makeup crouched down besides the table to gather up the dishes strewn across the table.

She was instantly noticeable for her beauty. Her form was slender, willowy, with a long, graceful neck. She was of pale complexion but not sickly, with a tint of pink underlying youthful vigor. Her black hair had been hastily put up into a bun; wisps still traveled down the nape of her neck, and framed her small, oval face. Her eyes were downcast at first, revealing the profile of her smooth pink lips and high bridged nose, but when she looked up, searching for other things to gather from the table, he saw that they were of a deep brown, and were as clear as a pool of the most pure water.

He recognized her immediately; she would often play down by the fields with the other children when she was younger as he watched from his courtyard, when he practiced the sword. Her father was a carpenter, a hard working and dignified man, if not endowed with the status that came from lineage. Even now he saw in her graceful, soft manners, an upbringing to rival that of a much wealthier home.

Brusque as always, he cut right to the chase and addressed her.

"You there. Girl. What be your name?"

He saw her start. Her composure was regained quickly, and she answered eyes downcast.

"I am Miyako, daughter to Toshi Tachibana milord."

Her voice was clear. Soft. Sweet even. His eyes traveled down the length of her dress, and lingered at the slight curve of her hipline made the more prominent by her narrow waist, masked mostly by loose fabric. He merely nodded and signed for her to go.

Purposefully, he did not look in her direction as she left. As soon as he heard the sliding door shut, he turned to Kojiro and growled lowly,

"Get these sluts out of here. I've had enough."

Kojiro bowed deeply as he replied, "As you wish, Lord Masamune."

"_One more thing_ Kojiro." Masamune kept his expression neutral. "The girl, the one I just talked to. Find out about her, and tell her to come to my chambers after I have washed up, I wish to speak with her."

A worried look came over Kojiro, "As you wish, Lord Masamune." He repeated, rather more reluctantly this time.

Masamune sat in the middle of the room, looking out towards the garden. He was deep in thought, planning the next victory, considering what would be to his strategic advantage, and what would be the response from the other Lords. The sound of the sliding door, and that of Kojiro's voice, reminded him of the task he had appointed to him previously.

"Well, Kojiro, _what have you got_?" Masamune demanded without any other opening.

Kojiro nodded, used to his Lord's direct nature, "My Lord Masamune, her name is Miyako Tachibana, and she is the daughter of the carpenter who lives in the village, Toshi Tachibana. She is sixteen, and was hired by head of staff to help out in the kitchen around six months ago. She is described as well mannered and hard working, she was recently allowed to start cleaning certain areas in the house."

"_Good work_ Kojiro. Now call her in."

" My Lord if I may…" Kojiro began. Masamune looked up, surprised at the uncharacteristic hesitancy in his advisor's voice.

"What is it Kojiro?"

Kojiro appeared tense, his jaw had clenched and his fists had assumed the rigidity of stone. "Lord Masamune, if I may be so bold as to advise caution, an affair with a member of the household staff would cause grounds for scandal. If you need a girl with whom to spend the night, there are plenty to choose from, amongst the entertaining women."

As Masamune listened to Kojiro, his face had remained grim. But it didn't take long for him to shrug it off with apparent nonchalance.

"_Che_," he arrogantly smirked "So I can only bed pretty girls that are sluts. That's not _cool_." He then cocked an eyebrow and said shortly, "Send her in Kojiro. I won't be indecent. I just want to talk to her."

"As you wish, Lord Masamune." Kojiro then hurried off, but he still did not look satisfied.

He then heard the sliding door open once again, but instead of the heavy trod that had announced Kojiro's arrival previously, the footsteps were light and fluttering. They stopped abruptly.

He turned around, and was again struck by her absolute beauty. She was kneeling down, near the entrance, eyes lowered modestly. She had been changed into a new kimono of dark blue, this one had been tied better, he assumed by the head of staff, and revealed more of her willowy frame. Her hair as well, had been smoothed down.

Masamune quickly broke the silence.

"You are Miyako, yes?"

"Yes milord." Came the soft reply.

"I know of your father. You came to work in this house six months previous, _right_?"

"Yes milord."

This won't do, Masamune thought. "Miyako, come closer, I wish to see you in the light."

She airily rose, and shuffled a few feet, until she just reached where the lights farthest reach ended in the middle of the room, all the while, keeping her eyes lowered. Her skin glowed in the moonlight, her fine, youthful lashes visible.

Masamune let out an impatient huff through his nose at her extreme cautiousness. His smirk became more pronounced. "Come here. I wish to show you something out on the verandah."

This time again, she rose gracefully. But now the footsteps were more timid, hesitant in closing the gap. She remained standing at his hand signaling for her to do so. At this point, Miyako allowed her self to steal a look at Masamune as he stared out into the fields, his attention diverted it seemed.

He was decidedly handsome, the village girls often joked about settling down with him, but as she took in the aquiline profile, and the chiseled jaw line, she began to truly appreciate his manliness. The loose clothing he wore, so different from the flashy armor she had usually seen him wearing, revealed some of his muscular arms and chest. His one eye, that was covered, was visible to her. She wondered what it looked like underneath the patch. Blushing at her boldness, she looked away.

She started a little when he raised his arm. "You live down by the farmhouse over there, right?" he asked suddenly, pointing out a spot afar.

She followed the direction in which he was gesturing, and saw the small, house, in which she resided, barely distinguishable due to its distance. "Yes milord." Slight surprise registered involuntarily in her voice.

He turned to look directly at her. She kept her eyes lowered, but he could see her hands which were clasped in front her, begin to tremble.

"_You're not bad_." His head was cocked slightly to one side. "You're hardworking from what I've heard, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I will ask to have you work exclusively for my quarters."

Relief came over Miyako's face. The old lady that ran the staff had warned her against any sort of activity that could possibly shame the Lord. A private audience with him had worried her that he might have had other designs, but with this, she would receive a better pay, and live at the home in the servant's quarters.

"You are most gracious milord." She said, face still downcast, but with sincere gratitude discernible in her voice.

At this he became silent. Miyako looked out towards the garden, far into the distance, trying to make out the shapes of any familiar landmarks. Masamune turned, instead to face her, and watched her profile as she looked on. He saw that a wisp of hair still trailed down her neck, it's strands twisting lightly, and made palpably more noticeable against the beautiful, pearl like white of her skin.

He made the decision then, as his eyes travelled down the length of her neck, mesmerized by the contrast. He grabbed her shoulder with one of his large hands, and spun her around so that her back faced him, and with his other hand, he delicately picked up the strands and tucked it into the bun. Her shoulders had tensed. He lowered his arm, and wrapped it around her small waist, and jerked her towards himself, so that their bodies were in contact. He then ran his fingertips slowly down her neck, tracing the outline of the ridge.

Her shiver went through her whole body, and he felt it as he was pressed up against her. He became sensitive of her slight movements, the softness of her body and the relaxing of her breathing, as he leaned forward and wrapped his other arm around her, placing his rough cheek against her soft one.

Miyako felt his hard, muscular body press up against her. She became more erect unconsciously, flattening herself against more of him, increasingly aware of the warmth that was radiating from him. Her arms remained at her side, forgotten as her senses focused on the places where they were making contact, and her heart throbbed uncomfortably as her chest tightened, unable to let out a breath.

The wind rustled the trees. He let go, and took a step back and turned around so that they were back to back. She remained fixated at her position, fully realizing what had just occurred, but unable to understand what it had meant. Again, she waited for him to break the silence.

"Send for the head of the household. I will announce your change in position to her myself. That is all. You may leave." His words were short.

She just nodded in return, and shuffled back quietly, as though being pulled back by an invisible string, conducting herself with involuntary, jerky movements.

Quietly she told the severe looking, old head of the staff , who had been waiting outside of the chambers the entire time, that she was wanted inside. The old woman, who was known for her fierceness despite here petite frame, rose up from where she had been kneeling and Miyako then sat down in her place on the cool hardwood floor in the corridor and waited, remaining in deep, but unfocused reflection.

After what seemed like an eternity in the hush like quiet, the old woman finally returned from his chambers, with pure shock plainly written on her face. She recovered quickly upon the sight of Miyako, and then curtly nodded to the girl to rise and follow her. As they walked over to the servant's dormitories, the old woman, who had at frst remained totally silent, could not but help but say harshly,

"I don't know how you did it, but I will warn you now. If you are caught doing anything inappropriate, the consequences will be severe. The young Lord as well, you would do wisely to guard yourself against any advances of his. He is a passionate man, but he would never tie himself down to a girl with nothing to offer like you. I say this out of concern for the both of you, but mostly for your reputation."

Miyako first blanched with fear at the accuracy of the woman's shrewdness, and then reddened with rage at the unfairness of the accusation. She did her best to nod silently with what dignity she could muster, and they then continued on in silence.

They reached the servant's quarters, which were located at the bottom of the grassy hill upon which the house had been constructed. There were two small wooden houses for sleeping quarters, one for the men, and the other for the women. There was also a small grassy clearing in which Miyako could discern the gleam from a washbasin, as well as some stray clothes hanging upon the string that had been tied between the roughly cleaned pickets of wood.

They entered the slightly larger of the shacks. The old woman then motioned with her knobby, thin hand at some well-worn blankets that had been left in the corner. All the other maids were not in the room, but their beds made of mismatched sheets had already been laid on the floor, and Miyako proceeded to do the same. Without waiting to say goodbyes or any further words, the old woman left, leaving Miyako alone to finally try and think over what had just come to pass.

After she had lain in her new cot in the servant's quarters for quite some time, unable to sleep, she began hear snatchings of the other maids conversation drifting in from outside as they walked back up towards the quarters, after secretly eating what leftovers they had gathered from the kitchen.

"It's obvious what happened…"

"Even the Lord likes a pretty face huh…"

"What a slut, while I broke my back for this job, all she had to do was open up her legs…"

It was that that made finally Miyako blocked out anything further by clasping the edges of her blanket around her ears. She had never been in such close contact with a man before, and the memory of it made the places they had come in contact with burn up with embarrassment, and she felt a wave of heat swell up from the tips of her toes upwards, until her cheeks were flaming.

But thinking back, he had made the advance. She had not encouraged him at all, at any point, she confirmed as she hurriedly went through the events one more time in her mind. It was a small swell of comfort. She had done nothing wrong, there was nothing to fear in facing the other maids, her family or the Lord himself, she had acted appropriately. She kept repeating these thoughts, chanting them slowly into a comfortable rhythm, to try and soothe the erratic beating of her heart that had at first nearly stopped when she had first overheard the other girl's conversation, and which now would not cease and was causing a painful throbbing in her head.

The old woman was right though, she allowed, she needed to be careful, as he would probably have his way with her, and then leave her in disgrace, a story she had heard too many times in the village's gossip. She resolved to keep her distance from him, as much as was possible, so that whatever passion had flared up within him would cool completely.

Suddenly she had the startlingly normal realization that she was extremely tired. She needed strength, as with the better pay came increased responsibilities, and an earlier time with which her day would start. Settling down upon these practical thoughts, she eventually drifted off into a much more peaceful sleep than she had anticipated.


End file.
